My Sporting Journey: What’s Next? 

My sporting journey started when I was very young. Sports were my life. Every season had something to look forward to-fall was football and soccer, winter was basketball and wrestling, and spring was baseball and track. Every time a season drew to an end, I was convinced I was going pro, ready to drop everything and spend all my time on that sport…until pre-season started for the next one. 

Then in seventh grade, I picked up tennis and that drop-everything, going-pro dedication finally stuck around. I had found my sport. It was the perfect combination of hand-eye coordination, speed, strategy, and athleticism. My coach, now a long-time friend, taught me all the basics and made sure to keep things fun, cementing my love for the game. Fast forward to high school, my best friend and I started making an impact on the doubles’ scene. We went on to win the PIAA State Championships in doubles, one of my fondest memories to date. 

I continued to play tennis on the club team in college and started weight-lifting more seriously. I couldn’t stay away from the gym, it was my favorite place on campus. So much so that I started working there, too. My free time was spent listening to health and wellness podcasts, scrolling fitness Instagram pages, and absorbing as much fitness content as I could. I started to realize that going to the gym isn’t just about lifting heavy (although that can definitely be fun), and my understanding of fitness became more holistic-it’s a combination of strength, flexibility, mobility, speed, diet, and self-compassion. 

I continued working out as I pivoted to post-grad life and gave traditional bodybuilding a go. I followed a program for about six months and learned a lot about what it takes to shape your body. Then in January 2023, four months before my wedding, I thought it would be fun to train for a half marathon as a way to get in top shape. I said that as if I had been running my whole life, but at that point, I had not run more than 4 miles in one shot. I knew I was neglecting my cardiovascular fitness. Thanks to a Nike Run Club program, I was able to successfully run a half marathon in an hour and fifty-five minutes. Throughout training, I continued weight-lifting and focused heavily on mobility and recovery to make sure I was able to run pain free. This really opened my eyes to how effective being consistent with the little things can be. For the remainder of 2023, I continued doing a bit of this hybrid-style training, exploring more in the realm of running and lifting. 

In September of 2023, I stumbled upon this thing called Ironman. It was like my discovery of tennis all over again. I was hooked. Swimming, biking, and running all in one event!? I found these athletes captivating, absolute machines. I started training for Haines City, Florida’s 70.3 Ironman. You may be thinking, three months to train for an Ironman is not enough… and you’d be correct. But regardless, I followed a program I found online. It took me six hours and thirty minutes to finish my first Ironman 70.3. It was a grueling experience. I left Florida wanting more, so I decided to get a coach. He has been such a valuable resource for both knowledge and support. We use Training Peaks, Strava, and Garmin among other tools to gather data and optimize my training. I now have four triathlons, several half marathons, and a full marathon under my belt, and I am grateful for the journey so far. 

Triathlon has sparked a fire in me. I have big goals for 2025. I wanted to write this blog as a form of self-reflection and to improve my understanding of what has worked for me over the course of my athletic journey. This exercise has helped me draw the following conclusion, which I wanted to share with you in hopes that it may help in your journey as well: simple is genius, patience is key, and self-compassion is necessary. Make things as simple as possible. It makes it much easier to be consistent. Waking up and having a simple plan of action each day allows you to avoid unnecessary procrastination and inefficiencies. Next, have patience. I am constantly in immediate gratification mode. Greatness, health, wellness, they all take time; accomplishing big dreams and goals takes time. Enjoy the process and have fun. Lastly, practice self-compassion. You have to surrender any judgement you have of yourself. Accept your current situation. More specifically, listen to how you speak to yourself. I will be working to make these habits in 2025 and encouraging others to do the same.